Yearly Archives: 2012

Top 10 Blog Posts of 2012

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In 2012 we gave advice on how to rethink tried and true fundraising tactics while embracing innovation. Start your new year by catching up on our most popular articles from 2012.

  1. 6 New Ideas for Your Next Annual Report
  2. Typography 101 for Nonprofits
  3. A Cautionary Tale for Nonprofits (Via My Dad’s iPad)
  4. 10 Steps to Solve the Biggest Problem in the World 
  5. If You Say You’re Innovative, You’re Probably Not 
  6. Lessons Learned: Tips to Make Your Next Multi-Channel Campaign Succeed 
  7. Photography 101 
  8. The Anatomy of a Good Donor Landing Page 
  9. 5 Tips to Start Preparing for End of Year Today! 

  10. Why ‘Risk’ is an Unloved Word in Philanthropy

10 Keys for Engaging & Empowering Millennials

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Guest Blog Post By: Scot Chisholm, StayClassy

Of the many trends thatthe 2012 Millennial Impact Report was able to unearth, there was one that was particularly compelling. An overwhelming majority of the millennials surveyed for the report (71%) said they had raised money on behalf of a nonprofit organization. Of those that hadn’t raised money for a nonprofit, about half indicated that they simply hadn’t had the opportunity to do so. That brings the total percentage of surveyed millennials who either have raised money for a nonprofit, or would be willing to, all the way up to 84%. And that’s pretty amazing.

It’s also consistent with the trends we’re seeing at StayClassy on a daily basis across thousands of nonprofit organizations using our platform to raise money. Although people of all ages do engage in online fundraising, there is a persistent bias towards the younger generation. For one reason or another (perhaps comfort level with the Internet and technology) millennials are exceptionally active in the online fundraising space. This means they are an incredibly important audience for any nonprofit looking to build a serious online fundraising program (and they will only get more important as time goes by).

We’ve also been fortunate to get a close up view of a handful of organizations that are incredibly effective at engaging millennials (Invisible Children and Pencils of Promise are a couple good examples) and many other organizations that simply aren’t.

And this got us thinking. What makes the Invisible Children’s of the world stand out? How are they able to consistently rally a younger audience to support their cause, and ultimately, raise millions online?

After pouring over these high performing organizations we came up with a list of ten keys for effectively engaging and empowering an audience of millennials (you can check out a summary of the list below).  Although the list was focused on engagement in general rather than fundraising techniques in particular, many of the tenets we came up with directly support the fundraising trends mentioned in the Millennial Impact Report.

One in particular stood out to me: “Let Millennials Define their own ‘Why’.  This means providing a vehicle for millennials to tell their own personal story as part of your larger organizational story (through a personal fundraising page, a video log, or some other medium).  Doing this allows the individual to internalize why they are supporting your organization and makes them feel more comfortable fundraising on your behalf. It also sets up the fundraising as an expressive, social, and interactive experience.

Suppose I create a fundraising page for a breast cancer organization. When I use that page to explain that my mom had breast cancer and what my personal motivation is, I do that because I care about the cause, but I also do it because I want to share my personal story with my friends and family. This activity is expressive (telling my story) and social (sharing with friends and family) and, ultimately, interactive (commenting and communicating with donors). All of these aspects make the experience of supporting the nonprofit more personal and fulfilling.

Millenials have grown up with immediate technological means of giving and receiving information with a wider audience. Interactive experiences are the norm for us (yes, I’m a millennial too). Giving a static donation feels impersonal and irrelevant. Creating a fundraising page or hosting my own charity event and explaining to my friends why this matters to me, that feels relevant.

These observations dovetail nicely with the findings of the Millennial Impact Report. Remember 71% of surveyed millennials had fundraised for a nonprofit and when they did they stayed close to home. 84% asked friends for donations and 80% asked their extended families for donations. The experience they are gravitating to is a personal one where they can express their individual motivations to support a larger cause with the people they care about (friends and family).

Where we see breakout success is when organizations are able to marry this personal story telling with fundraising.  Peer-to-Peer fundraising pages are a great tool to do this, which is one of the reasons why organizations like Invisible Children have gravitated towards this fundraising technique.

If you’re interested in the full list of the10 keys for engaging a millennial audience you can see a condensed version below, or, you can see the expanded list over here:

10 Keys for Engaging & Empowering Millennials

1. Build instant (and we mean instant) credibility

Millenials are accustomed to using aesthetics as a quick proxy for determining value. If your website is uninspiring, we’ll just click off to something else.

2. Tell us why we should we care

If you can’t effectively show us why you care about this cause, then we won’t care. The easiest way to convince us that we should care is by showing us why you care.

3. Give us a “villain

Millennials are an idealistic bunch; we want to save the world. Give us a chance to express this idealism by clearly painting a picture of who or what we’re up against.

4. State the impossible

Millennials love the impossible. Lay out a challenge that everyone else says can’t be accomplished, and millennials will rally to your call.

5. Let us define our own ‘why?’

For millennials to truly commit to your organization, they will need to internalize the cause and decide why it matters to them personally.  That’s why it’s critical to give millennials a vehicle to tell their own story as part of your larger story.

6. Promote a common purpose

Millennials want to see how their action (or inaction) affects the overall success or failure of the community as it collectively tries to achieve its objective. It’s important to clearly display a collective goal and make it easy to see other people who are part of the community.

7. Be ultra transparent

Millennials grew up with information at their fingertips; they question everything. The importance of demonstrating how donations will be used cannot be understated. And the importance of demonstrating the impact of your work also cannot be understated.

8. Show us progress (any progress)

Millennials want to see your progress in real-time, the same way they consume most of their information on a daily basis. Demonstrate progress through constant communication, make it digestible for your audience, and celebrate this progress as a “win” in a series of many “wins” that will be necessary to achieve your larger objectives.

9. Inspire us with what’s next

It’s important to clearly articulate your next organizational challenge, and lay the foundation for how I might become involved.  What is your latest goal?  To achieve that goal, what type of support do you need from your base and how can I individually help you?

10. Move us to action

It is absolutely critical to give millennials a strong and unified call-to-action across all of your communication channels.  We suggest moving them to an action that goes above and beyond a simple donation, like creating a fundraising page. These types of “asks” allow millennials to personalize the cause, get their friends and family involved, and most importantly, deepen the emotional connection with your organization

 

MCON12: Connecting with Millennials through Social Media by John Haydon

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In July, Achieve presented MCON12, sponsored by The Case Foundation, featuring inspiring speakers energizing leaders to engage Millennials at new levels. For the next few weeks we will be presenting short highlights of some of the best speakers and presentations from the day.

John Haydon, Inbound Zombie, spoke about connecting with Millennials through Social Media at MCON 2012 virtual conference on how organizations can engage Millennials.  John illustrates the many ways Facebook can be utilized to promote your nonprofit.

 

Time to Join the Donor Revolution

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Originally posted on Philantopic – a blog of opinion and commentary from PHILANTHROPY news digest.

Every $100 in fundraising revenue gained in 2011 was offset by $100 in losses. Every 100 donors gained in 2011 was offset by the loss of 107 other donors. The donor retention rate for the sector in 2011 was 27 percent.

Why are these statistics from a recent survey conducted by the Association of Fundraising Professionals so, well, disappointing? Before I answer that question, let me tell you about an encounter I had with a chief development officer at a national healthcare organization.

I met Mark two years ago at a conference where I was speaking about trends in fundraising. He sat in on my session and approached me after it was over with a question about whether and how fundraising is evolving in response to generational shifts. We stayed in touch over the years, trading ideas and strategies related to multichannel approaches to raising support.

Several months ago, we had a chance to catch up over breakfast in Washington, D.C. After a brief conversation about fundraising performance and how things were going compared to last year, we started talking about his organization’s efforts to acquire new donors. Eventually, he asked me whether I knew of any “tricks” to increase donor headcount. After what seemed like a fruitful forty-five minutes, I changed the topic to donor stewardship. As I started to talk, Mark slumped back in his chair and his facial expression settled into a blank stare. It was clear he wasn’t interested.

Eventually, I stopped and said, “I take it your thing is acquiring new donors?”

“Our board is all about raising more money,” he replied. “My meetings with board members today will be focused on bringing in more donors and diversifying our base of loyal supporters. I don’t have a choice; I need to focus on acquisition. Sure, I could work harder to get our existing donors to give more, but I know the board cares more about me getting new donors to support the organization.”

My curiosity piqued, I asked him: “Do you prefer working on campaigns to acquire new donors or ones that focus on donor retention? Your personal preference, not what the board wants.”

“Fundraising to me is an uphill challenge,” he said. “It’s a challenge at times to figure out the best strategy, the right message, and the optimal way to present an appeal in order to get a positive reaction from a donor. It’s an incredible feeling, though, to crack the code. I get that feeling when a donor upgrades, but I get more excited when I can find a successful way to get a contact to give.”

There it was: the infatuation with donor acquisition, from boards that want an ever-growing donor base to directors of development that love the challenge of coming up with the one message that gets a donor to break out his or her wallet for the first time. And yes, as a former fundraiser, I can tell you that it is exciting when one cracks “the code.”

Unfortunately, donor acquisition and retention stats don’t lie, and what they tell us is that organizations are losing donors as fast, and sometimes faster, than they acquire them. Given that fact, isn’t it time to rethink how we fundraise? Isn’t it time we build development departments that value repeat donors as much as new donors? Isn’t it time for a donor-focused revolution? If you agree, here’s how your organization can be part of it.

Invest in Talent That Understands Donor Stewardship
When hiring development staff, think about asking job candidates a different set of questions. Instead of asking about the largest ask they’ve ever made, or the approaches they use to solicit potential prospects, ask about the retention rate for donors they’ve acquired, the strategies they’ve implemented to enhance those rates, and what they would change in your shop if hired.

Allocate Resources for Donor Retention Programs
Organizations that are serious about donor retention walk the talk, allocating the same amount of resources for donor retention as they do for donor acquisition. Whether it’s for technology upgrades or a series of donor-engagement activities, organizations need to spend money to ensure that donors continue to support your organization and increase their gifts over time.

Track Different Data to Understand Donor Retention
Your organization’s data on donor retention should focus on engagement. What actions do your donors take when you communicate or seek their input? What causes them to move from communication to action? Conduct focus groups, interviews, and other kinds of surveys to get a better understanding of what works to increase your donors’ loyalty to the organization.

Help Your Board See the Light
Donor retention isn’t a staff issue; it’s an organizational priority that should be driven by the board. It’s up to your executive director and development staff to help board members understand the importance of donor retention and why such programs are necessary for long-term success. Ask for a show of hands at your next board meeting to see how many of your board members chose not to support an organization this year that they had supported in the past. Ask those board members why they stopped supporting the organization in question and what it would take to bring them back into the fold. Turn it into a teachable moment that illustrates to other board members why you need their assistance (in the form of leadership, time, and financial support) to improve your organization’s donor retention rate.

It’s been said before that convincing a donor to give is hard, but convincing a donor to keep giving is twice as hard. Ignoring your existing donors poses a huge threat to the stability of your organization. It’s imperative, therefore, that your organization figures out the right balance between its donor acquisition and retention activities. In the words of my friend Mark, “Donors won’t necessarily remember why they gave to your organization in the first place, but they’ll always remember why they stopped giving to it.”

Join me on Twitter to talk about the #donorrevolution.